Lyon County votes to keep brothels, elects new sheriff

A billboard near Mound House states "No on County Question 1"<br><br><br><br><p>{/p}

LYON COUNTY, Nev, (News 4 & Fox 11) — Lyon County residents left no question about how they felt towards keeping brothels in the county.

80% of residents voted "No" on Question 1, an advisory question which asked if brothels should be ended in Lyon County.

"I'm happy I get to keep my job," says Juniper Jones, sex worker at Sagebrush in Mound House. "Not only for me, but all the other workers here too."

After the final tally, 16,643 residents voted No, 4,031 votes Yes.

The vote comes three weeks after Lyon County Sheriff Al McNeil released his compliance report on findings inside the four county brothels. In the report, McNeil unveiled what he believed are indicators of sex trafficking related to the brothels.

"I've got to do a better job," says McNeil. Three weeks ago he stated that the Lyon County Sheriff's Office needs to have a more thorough vetting process of sex worker applications.

McNeil won't have much time to make adjustments, as Lyon County Jail Commander Frank Hunewill beat out McNeil for sheriff. Hunewill compiled 10, 119 to McNeil's 9,263.

Sex workers say they look forward to working with Lyon County in the near future to better regulate brothels.

"It's 2018, not 1972," says Alice Little, sex worker at BunnyRanch. "It's time we update our codes to reflect the new changes as society too has evolved."